Clamp



T. PESC May 28, 19135.

CLAMP Filed Oct. 25, 1934 son Patented May 28, 1935 UNITED i STATES PATENT .OFFICEw a 2,003,090 5 i Thomas Pesci, Raritan, N. J.

Application october 25', 1934; serial No. 749,886

- 'zfciaims iol. :a4-250) My invention -relates ,to improvements in a clamp, and particularly tok a clamp for handling large thin 'sheets of material, such aslinoleum,"

felt base floor covering, and the like.

My improved clamp is adapted for removing sheets of material from the printing machine, while the paint upon the sheetis wet, and placing the sheet upon the drying racks.

The practice heretofore vhas beento operate the printing machine for -dropping an extra double border between the adjacent rug designs. The extra border was provided for the purpose of handling the sheet, and as the border was eighteen inches wide, and as long as the width of th-e sheet, a considerable amount of material was lost, and also the time required to print the extra border.

The object of my invention is to provide a clamp for conveniently handling large sheets of floor covering, and which will engage only a very narrow portion of the selvage. Y

A further object is to construct a clamp with a rigid base forming one clamp jaw, and hinging a movable clamp jaw of smaller dimensions upon the base, whereby the entire clamp may be as much as nine feet in length and `adapted for receiving the entire length of one edge of a rug, or sheet of floorcovering.

A further object is to provide a series of devices arranged at spaced intervals throughout the length-of the lbase for pressing the clamp plate tightly upon the sheet of material.

A furtherv object is to provide a connecting bar for simultaneously operating all of the clamp actuating devices. n

A further object is to provide clamp plate actu- Y ating devices which are movable in one direction for engaging the clamp jaws and movable in the opposite direction for opening the jaws. Y

A further object is tol provide a series of levers for operating the movable clamp jaw and provide a novel means for pivotally mounting the levers upon the base, whereby the levers may be adjusted relatively to the movable jaw, and the levers may be so adjusted without disconnecting the levers from the connecting bar to which all the levers f are connected.

These together with various other novel fea` tures of construction and arrangement of the parts, lwhich will be morel fully hereinafter de' Fig. 3 is avtransverse sectional view online 3-3 Fig. l, drawn on a larger scale and showing the clamp jaws in the openposition. l

Fig. 4 is an enlarged plan view of a portion of the clamp showing the jaws in the open position.

In the drawing, in which likev reference characters refer to like parts, A5 represents the clamp comprising abase 6, preferably formed of a strip of wood, having thelength of the entire clamp and of rectangular cross section, forming a at bottom supporting surface, and a top bearing surface 1 for the movable parts of the clamp. One longitudinal upper edge portion of the baseforms a clamp jaw 8. Said base is provided with a longitudinal groove 9 for better gripping a thin sheet of material I0, when engaged by the jaws.

A movable clampplate I2 is hinged upon the top bearing surface 1y of the base by hinges I4. The clamp plate I2 is .of angular cross section, preferably formed of metal, .and having a member or bead I5 extending the entire length of the outer longitudinal edge portion `of the clamp plate and forming the movable jaw of the clamp. The bead I5 is located adjacent to the groove 9 formed in the base andtends to deect the` sheet of material I0 into the groove 9 and securely grip the edge of the sheet. u; N Stop pins I1 are secured upon the base 6 and pass freely through holes I8 formed through the clamp plate |2. Said pins are'located adjacent to the groove 9 and limit the distance the clamp jaws may embrace the edge of the ysheet of material. ,v

A series of clamp plate actuating devices is mounted upon the top bearing suriaceA 1`of the base 6 for engaging and moving the clamp plate I2 about the hinges I4, forjope'ningand closing a clamp nut 23,l in threadedengagement'with the pin and located upon the bearing surface 1 of the base, for securely clamping the pinr 2| upon the base. The `pin 2| projects above the` top bearing surface of the base and forms an axis for the lever 20. Said axis extends perpendicular to said bearing surface 1 and at right angles to the axis of the :hinges I4 carrying the plate I2. The lever 20 is held upon the pin 2| by a'nut 24and the lever swings over and-beyond the Iline of the axis of the clamp plate I2 and biases the plane in which the clamp plate swings.`

An arm 25'of the lever 20' is provided formoving the clamp plate I2 about the hinges I4 ,and into the closed positionof the jawsfor tightly clamping the sheet of material between the jaws.

The lever 20 is adjustable upon the pin 2| by means of a number Yoi washers 26, located between the clamp l nut 23V and a sleeve 21. VYSaid sleeve 21 may be an integral part of the nut 24,

or-it may be made in the'form of a separate sleeve. rlrhe washers form spacing meansv be- 23, so that the lever will press more tightly upon the clamp plate I2 and increase the clamping action ofthe jaws. 21 is greater thanthat of the washers 26 so that the washers will be readily removable through the aperture formed in thelever for the sleeve. By removing the nut 24 and the sleeve 21,.- the washers will fall through the aperture formed in Lthe lever when the entire clamp is inverted. By

this arrangement a washer 26 may be removed without removing the lever from the pivot pin 2 I.

The levers 2li are supported upon cleats 28, which are secured upon .the base y6. The levers slide over the cleats 28, and said cleatssupport the levers against the under surface of the nuts 24. By removing one or more washers 26 from the pivot pins, any lost motion between the levers and the clamp plate I2 may be compensated for, and all the levers, which are located at spaced intervals along the length of the clamp, maybe separately adjusted so as to exert equal pressures upon the clamp plate I2.

The clamp plate l2 is moved to vopen the jaws by an extension part 29 formed upon each lever. The part 29 engages an angleclip 30, secured by brazing upon the under. side of the plate I2. One member of the angle clip 30 extends obliquely relatively to the clamp plate and extends beyond the axis of the hinge |4,toward the pivot pin 2|.

When the lever is moved in one direction aboutV the pin 2|, the extension part 29 of the lever will take against vthe clip 30 and tilt the clamp plate I2 to the open position, shown inFigs. 3 and 4, in which open position' the clamp plate is held by the part 29 of the lever until the latter is moved to again close the clamp plate upon rthe jaw 8 of the base.

The clamp platev actuating devices are yarranged for simultaneous action by a connecting bar 3| extending parallel with the length of the base, and pivotally connected by pins 32 with the arms 33 of the levers 28.

The connecting b ar 3| consists of two relatively light weight plates 34 and 35.

Said plates 34 and 35 extend parallel to each other and are'held in spaced relation by spacing blocks 36 rigidly secured between said plates by rivets 31, thus forming a rigid connecting bar.

A detachable hand tool 38 is provided for operating the clamp plate actuating devices. The

tool 38 consists of a handle bar 39, bifurcated at' form a handle. Aplate 46 is secured between the central portions of the straps 43 and 44. Said plate has a hole 41 formed therein for the insertion of a hook. y'I'hestraps 43 and l44 extendA under the base 8 and form shoes upon which the The diameter oi the sleeve base may slide over the iloor when dragging a large sheet of floor covering.

The base 8, which forms the lower clamping jaw is made wider than the clamp plate I2, which forms Athe movable jaw. 4The relatively greater width of thebase formskthe wide bearing surface 1 for the levers 28, so that the latter may swing into a position to allow the clamp plate I2 to open. The pivot pins.2| 4are mounted upon said bearing surface of the base and are located `upon the sidev of the hinges I4 opposite t0 the clamp jaws. The levers 20 swing in a plane parallel with said bearing surface 1 and pass freely above the hinges I4 into engagement with the clamp plate I2, which latter is positioned obliquely rto the base, when in the open position.

The Yoperation of my invention is as follows; the tool 33 is placed upon anyone oi the levers 20 for turning them into the position shown in Figs. 3 and 4 to open the clamp plate to receive the edge of a sheet of floor covering I between the jaws. The stop pins I1 limit the distance the jaws may extend over the sheet. The hand tool 38 is operated to simultaneously turn' all the levers 20 into the position shown in Figs. l and 2, in which position the arms of the levers engage the clamp plate I2 at various points throughout the length ot-the latter and rigidly clamp the jaws in engaging position.

By my novel adjusting means the levers may be adjusted to vary the pressure of the levers upon the movable clamp plate, without disconnecting the levers from the connecting bar. 3 I.

Various changes in the details of construction and the arrangementof the parts maybe made without departing from my invention.

lI claim:- d

1. A clamp for gripping the edge of a large sheet of linoleum or the like, comprising a relatively long basev forming a clamp jaw along one of its longitudinal edges, a clamp plate forming a jaw coacting with theA first mentioned jaw, hinges secured to the base and to the opposite edge of the clamp plate relatively to the jaw upon the latter, pivot pins secured upon the base hav- 'ing their axes perpendicular to the base and at right angles to the axis of the clamp plate, levers rotatably mounted upon said pivot pins, a part upon each lever arranged for engaging the clamp plate for turning it about\ the hinges to close said `jaws, a clip upon the clamp vplate arranged to be tool detachably mounted upon a lever.

' 2. A clamp plate comprising a base having a clamp jaw located along one longitudinal edge portion, a clamp plate having a clamp jaw located along one edge portion and coacting with the jaw upon the base, a hinge secured upon the base and upon the rear edge portion of said plate opposite to the jaw, a plurality of levers pivotally mounted upon said base, one arm yoi' each lever arranged for engaging and moving the clamp plate about said hinge to close the jaws, a connecting bar pivotally `connected with said levers for imparting simultaneous movement to said levers, an angle-clip secured upon said clamp plate and positioned adjacentto said hinge, an extension upon a leverpositioned between the angle-clip and the clamp plate for engagement with said clip for moving the clamp plate about the hinge and opening the jaws.

THOMAS PESCI. 

